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Digitized by the Internet Archive 
in 2011 with funding from 
The Library of Congress 



http://www.archive.org/details/flowersoflifeOObidd 



The Flowers of Life 



BY 



Anthony J. Drexel Biddle 



Author of "An Allegory and Three Essays. 



Mm, ~^^ 




PHILADELPHIA 

DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER 

Walnut Street 

1897 












Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1897, by 

ANTHONY J. DREXEL BIDDLE, 
in the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 



% Transfer 

D.L. Public Library 



, 



WITHDRAWN 



®o one m\)05c influence, like some rabiant star, 
Srings ^eatien's Ijoln beauty from afar: 
iflg life, tun all— mu ttHfe— to euer be 
iHt) gnioe throughout t\)c long eternitii. 



General of tlje writings in tl]is collection are 
reunblisljcb from ucriobicals anb rcuiscb from 
a brochure cntitlcb lM 3ln QUlcgorj} anb ®t}rec 
(Essajis." 



SUBJECTS. 



PAGE 

The Flowers of Life, 9 

A Forest Idyl, 13 

Truth, Love and True Love, 17 

On the Death of the Only Child, 21 

A Corporeal Argument, 25 

The Mountain Climber, 29 

Eternity Means Advancement, 35 

Kemarks, 43 

The Book, 49 

The Newspaper, 53 

The Mind, 61 

Motive, 67 

Opinion, 73 

The Life of an Ephemeron, 77 



Zfyt Sfbteers of feife 



IT seems that there must be slothfulness among 
plants as among people. For of two plants 
of the same kind growing side by side, does not 
often one use its productive powers and cover its 
branches with floral beauty while the other 
remains flowerless ? 

We see two men : the one living for the pleas- 
ure and the betterment of his fellow-beings, and 
the other, like the flowerless plant, absorbing all 
the benefit he can derive in life, being too slothful 
to give forth or to develop in turn any beauty or 
good of himself. 

We value a plant according to the delicacy and 
number of flowers it produces. And what joy 
flowers give ! We remember them long after 
they are withered and dead. 

This lesson then seems to be taught by the 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

flowering plants which give beauty to the earth 
and fragrance to the air : 

To develop the good which we gather and to 
make it blossom into noble deeds. 

And there is so much good to be gathered that 
if all men reproduced but a half of that they 
absorbed, it seems that this world would then 
become the flowering garden of Paradise. 



*5=>; 



® Somt 3&gf 



THE forest rustled : 
And sun-silvered leaves 
Flashed merry sparkles 
Through the shading trees. 

The brooklet gurgled 
O'er its pebbly bed, 
Reflecting the sparkles 
Anon, overhead. 

Clouds above thickened 
In gathering storm, 
And hiding the sun 
Made the wood forlorn. 

Then bright lightning flashed 

Most vividly bright, 

And relit the dark 

With great streaks of light. 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

But the lightning wild, 
With its cold j fierce rays, 
Set the wood groaning 
And its trees ablaze. 

The brook sighed : " Return 
Sunshine, soft and warm !" 
Gentle light sheds good, 
Not lightning of storm. 



Zrutfy, £ct?e anb grue £ot>e 



T 



RUTH lasts eternally ; and God is love : 
So love and truth are blessings from above. 



If true love bind true lovers, God's image 
Exists in them, in their earth's pilgrimage. 



©n fge ©eaffl of $e £ht% C^ifb 



THE summer's night was dark and still. 
My wife and I sat in our little hovel. 
Our eyes were dry from long continued weeping, 
for the child, the only child was dead and gone ! 

We thought and wondered of the great un- 
known : was it life or death beyond the grave ? 
We wondered. It had seemed with the birth of 
our child that our spirits joined for eternity. 
But now, in infancy, the child had been taken 
from us. What could be God's meaning: ? 

We were poor, poverty stricken. But haj)py 
in each other, our happiness had been crowned 
complete when we felt our souls united in our 
own, our new-born babe. 

Ah, how my Love did long to die ! And 
naught but misery ahead in life I saw. 

" My wife, my own !" I cried, " together let us 
yearn to see again our child. Together, with such 



23 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

strength of yearning, hope and faith that we shall 
see him." 

How thus I spoke I do not know. But as I 
spoke my wife and I arose. Out into the night 
we stepped, and met a glorious vision. It was an 
angel, tall and fair and radiant, with sky-blue 
eyes and hair and wings of gold. 

Upon our knees we fell. 

The angel spoke : 

" Your child has died to ye that ye may better 
live. His infant soul is of your spirits blended. 
Thus in him now ye have a heavenly place. But 
this remember well, small is his life. And if ye 
grow estranged his soul will die. So keep to- 
gether in the desperate struggle, being always 
brave and of perfect comfort to each other. Life 
in your world is but your brief apprenticeship 
ere soaring unto greater things. Employ well 
your talents, for through your earthly workings 
solely do ye make yourselves of sufficient impor- 
tance to exist eternally. Life beyond the grave 
means progression. And if together ye'd pro- 
gress, united ye must be." 

Lightning flashed from heaven, the spirit 
vanished, and again we were in darkness. But in 
the darkness we had seen the light. And through 
our sorrow we had seen eternity. 



@t Corporeaf (^r^umenf 



THE flesh and blood held argument. 
Is not this passing strange, 
That joint parts of the same body 
Should each other derange ? 

Quoth blood, " I course the body through, 
You, flesh, remain stock-still." 
" The stanchest is the truest," said 
The flesh. "You do me ill." 

Then up spake bones in lofty scorn : 
" Why argue or dissemble ? 
'Tis I support you both," said bones ; 
And flesh and blood did tremble. 

Ah, weak is flesh, and weak is blood, 
And even bones decay ! 
'Tis the unseen, silent spirit 
That ever wins for aye. 



t$t (Jttounfain CfhnBer 



A MAN set out to climb a mighty mountain 
in a day. He must race against time. He 
must concentrate his energy to a single end, and, 
once embarked upon his upward way, the greater 
efforts he put forth, the faster he would ascend. 
Stopping by the wayside, ever and anon, for 
refreshment and to indulge the pleasures of rest 
or of idle loitering, would deter his j^rogress. 

Like he who would achieve eminence in the 
limited period, his lifetime, the mountain climber 
should not tarry save for the necessary refresh- 
ment of rest, else, ere he knew it, darkness would 
have closed about him : like the laggard in life's 
climb whom death o'ertakes. 

Hence onward and upward the traveller 
climbed. Sometimes he fain would stop to 
while the time or to find interest by the way- 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

side. For he thought to himself, at such periods, 
"Why should I reach the top to-day?" and again, 
" Of what benefit is it to me if I gain the summit 
at all?" 

Here, in reply, a spirit voice advised : " Thou 
hast considered ; thou hast chosen ; thou hast set 
out to accomplish. Now neither turn back nor 
loiter. For, if thou doest either, it were better 
thou hadst not started to ascend." 

Thus advised, the traveller hastened onward. 
For he felt that though he might fail to reach 
the summit ere darkness came, nevertheless a 
steady and unwavering tread would leave a 
distinct footprint in the pathway of example. 

And thus, by dint of faith and perseverance, 
the traveller at last did reach the summit of the 
mountain, ere his sun had set. And here he 
needs should rest and look about him, for he now 
had well earned his rest and, having a better 
view than in the lowlands whence he came, 
he could put his power of sight to good ad- 
vantage. 

32 



THE MOUNTAIN CLIMBER. 

But alas, how few who thus gain the summits 
of their mountains do stop. They are now weary, 
but the fever of climbing is upon them. 

The traveller saw a peak still higher than that 
upon which he was, and extending up into the 
heavens. Although his day was far spent, he 
again hurried upward. 

In life's brief day is it meant that we should 
accomplish all things ? Ere the traveller attained 
this greater height, the night had fallen. 



(Bferntfg (JUeans (Qbtonctmtnt 



LOOK up into infinite space and be assured 
of the eternity of your soul. New stars 
are discovered constantly. 

Eternity means advancement. To fill infinite 
space will take eternity. 

We are God's servants. What does Christ's 
parable of the talents teach ? To labor ; not to 
idle. Why should we live eternally else to 
accomplish ? Would a spirit exist without an 
object? 

It is often queried, " What is the use of suc- 
ceeding ? Of what avail is getting ahead ? There 
is nothing new to be accomplished : does not 
history repeat itself?" 

Half of our people exist in a state of stagna- 
tion as much as possible. Many of the poor 
bemoan their fates, but do nothing of themselves 



37 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

to better their condition. Many rich retire from 
business to live on their incomes, and to dawdle 
their time. 

The rich are rich that they may help their 
needy fellow-men to rise by proper uses of their 
talents and wealth. They are intended as the 
stepping-stones for the less fortunate across the 
river of trial to the shore of success. 

Rich and j^oor alike who are idle cannot realize 
that true enjoyment is the reward of the indus- 
trious only. 

Days of inactivity are the unhappy and dis- 
contented ones. We cannot successfully steal 
rest ; we must earn it. And we must be honestly 
and healthfully weary to enjoy it. 

The temporal system must be based on the 
eternal. To live properly here we must have 
occupation. In heaven it is surely intended that 
we have work to do ! 

But perfection is not to be looked for in this 
world. Can its attainment ever be expected in 
the next? Are not the countless, most distant 
interests of heaven and earth so closely related 



ETERNITY 3IEANS ADVANCEMENT. 

that to reach the verge of perfection in any one 
study is to cross the border into another, un- 
learned ? 

"nothing new under the sun"? 

The master labors ; must not his servants 
labor? 

If there has ever been something new to be 
done — and always will be — can the saying that 
" there is nothing new under the sun" hold good? 
If so, then surely, we can compile a catalogue of 
the world's doings and sayings during a certain 
given period which will be applicable as a refer- 
ence for all time. 

Calumny and treachery, disease and death have 
existed and will exist, but there are ever new 
forms in their perpetration and occurring. 
Choose one of these calamities at random, for 
illustration : disease. Why does a doctor, attend- 
ing two persons of the same sex, like tempera- 
ment, same age, and suffering from equally 
acute attacks of disease known by a single 
name, cure one patient and lose the other? 
Is it not because certain complications have 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

arisen to change the unfortunate patient's disease 
into a new disease, unknown heretofore to the 
doctor ? 

Can you find two pansies alike ? 

New metals and new chemicals are being dis- 
covered and made constantly by combinations 
(heretofore unexperimented) of metals and 
chemicals already known. And here — 

IMAGINATION IS THE CREATIVE POWER. 

While imagination exists there will ever be 
new creations. 

God imagines, and we are his creations. 

IMAGINATION, THE MEANS TO COMPREHENSION ; 
OR, IMAGINATION AS APPLIED TO THE OBJECT 
OF ONE'S INTEREST. 

A man has a hobby. He believes in it. He 
pins his faith to it. He finds more interest incor- 
porated in the subject of his liking than in all 
else in which he is not interested. 

Then his imagination forms the magnifier 
through which he further pursues his study of 



ETERNITY MEANS ADVANCEMENT. 

this, his favorite object. And he quickly dis- 
covers that outside subjects are connected with 
his. own so closely that, by a thorough mastery of 
his own subject, he learns a deal of others, nolens 
volens. 

The history of the world may be traced in the 
life of an insect. 

" Increase aud multiply," is the Almighty's 
command. 

Can even an insect find in death extinction of 
life, since there is unlimited space to be filled by 
new worlds to contain life ? 

No. At least no, if eternity means advance- 
ment ; for then no life can be lost. 




(RematliB 



THE end of this world will come when enough 
good souls have been furnished God's king- 
dom to meet His purpose concerning them. 



We may write our lives illegible to man but 
not to God. 



'Twere punishment less distressing to be in 
hell, forgotten to heaven, than in God's waste- 
basket of poorly-written lives. 

If we lived life here a thousand years, we could 
not master temj)oral problems. Hence, how are 
our minds in their present state of being fitted 
to cope with questions of eternity ? 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 



Endurance is the proof of greatness. God 
lives eternally. And God watches over the life 
of an ant. He who best attends to the little 
things of life is foremost in the largest. 



The only reliable implements for succeeding 
are wits well sharpened on the grindstone of 
w T ork. 



The ignorant may conquer, but only the wise 
can maintain mastery. 

The stumbler upon success is more likely to 
fall than he who sees success before he reaches 
it. For successes in this world are the summits 
of the mountains of ambition, and prove dizzy- 
ing heights for all but the very surefooted. 



It is the hard things of life which soften 
the right nature while they strengthen the 
character. 

46 



REMARKS. 

An overdose of praise poisons rather than 
nourishes the successful. 

An author must work with as fine care as a 
cutter of precious stones, if he would have his 
output possess the sparkle of a true literary gem. 

Elegant paper and a tasty binding are as 
necessary to the serving of a good book as a 
clean and pretty dish is to the serving of a deli- 
cate sweetmeat. 

The land of dreams is the borderland of 
reality. 

Thought bounces at corners through the mind 
like the revolving ball on the billiard-table. 

Negligence is the root of every evil. 

Comparison with no other body of water can 
belittle the ocean's vastness ; but the near-sighted 
often think the shallow pool profound. 



THE FLO WEBS OF LIFE. 

He who for counsel depends upon others, 
stumbles blindly through life. Not a man's 
friends, but his conscience should be for him his 
judge and dictator. To lead a life of worth (and 
to be a leader of men), one must be an indepen- 
dent thinker. 



In the earnestness of youth there's little 
faltering. 

Be wary of him who is hard to offend. 

Opposites are fitted for each other. In the 
one is what the other lacks. 




tk QBoofi 



HOW literature influences the lives of men ! 
The reading of a great book furnishes 
the mind. The eating of nutritious food fur- 
nishes the body. But the mind is retentive, 
whereas the benefit of food can be only ephemeral. 

Many men fashion their lives according to the 
teachings gathered from a single book. Self- 
made men, the most successful, serve as a constant 
illustration for this statement. It is rarely that 
a self-made man does not attribute his success to 
an early inspiration from some book. True, 
many self-made men are unlettered. But then 
it requires little schooling ere one of wit can 
understand the writings of the great. Wisest 
sayings are couched in simplest language. 

Great books make great men. 

Good literature is the rock whereon are the 
buildings of truth, wisdom, morality and heroism. 
So long as the rock holds firm, humanity's storms 
of doubt will not destroy its (the rock's) buildings. 

51 



£$e (Qtmpapzx 



THE world could feel, the world could taste — 
but the world could not think, for it could 
not see, it could not hear, it could not speak. In 
the daily press the voice of the world has been 
found, and also the sight of the world and the 
hearing. Resultant is a power of universal 
thought in common : the gift of gifts to the 
human race. A universal civilization is made 
possible. 

The great newspaper is imbued with an 
individuality more powerful than any one person 
can possess. It is an authority upon many sub- 
jects, whereas a great man is rarely an authority 
on more than a single subject. And even on 
this he cannot offstand the newspaper. It will 
win his knowledge, or he must seek its columns 
for the large audience he would obtain. 

As for institutions, no other institution is so 
far-reaching, so penetrating, so influential. The 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

great "daily" is at once an authority of the 
community in which it is published, a mouth- 
piece of the wise, and a chronicler of the world's 
history. 

The reporters of a city are its discoverers. In 
bringing crime to light, detectives find it hard to 
compete with the news-gatherers ; and in recog- 
nizing merit in worthy citizens of a community, 
the papers are invariably foremost. 

A progressive, modern city is coming to be 
known by its leading papers, rather than by its 
prominent people. It is the press of a city that 
gives to it its individuality. 

The power of a progressive nation is now 
reflected in its press. The more influential 
countries are those of the greater newspapers. 

The press of a progressive nation may be 
likened to the stem of a tree, the people to the 
roots, and the government to the branches which 
the roots would have upheld. The stem is the 
means of conveying that nourishment from the 
roots to the branches which causes them (the 
branches) to grow ever stronger and more spread- 
ing. The doing away with the press of the 
progressive nation would affect that nation as 
the severing of its stem would affect the grow- 
ing tree. Reasons might be summed : — 

56 



THE NEWSPAPER. 

The stimulant of advancement is competition. 
The requirements of a competitive people, though 
unlimited, are met in their press, the scope of 
which is unlimited. 

Mr. Harry Furniss, the distinguished English 
artist and caricaturist, said recently, on returning 
from the United States to his native land, " The 
key-note of America is competition ; for instance, 
when I had arranged to join the New York 
Herald, I received a cablegram from another 
journal, ' We double the offer.' They did not in 
the least know what my terms were ; but it was 
competition, and they were ready to fight." 

The press is the only medium in which the ever- 
increasing demands of the public are satisfied. 
It is at once, then, the people's most popular and 
most powerful institution. They find in it all 
that is encouraging. It upholds them and their 
standards, and in doing this it upholds their 
government. And it keeps them and their gov- 
ernment thoroughly informed as to each other. 
The government addresses its people through the 
newspaper column, and thus it makes known its 
demands and necessities. In turn, it looks to the 
press for information of its people. 

The newspaper is read by every class and 
condition, from the lowest to the highest. Hence 



THE FLO WEBS OF LIFE. 

a needy case in any walk of life, when brought 
to notice through publication, finds sympathizers 
and helpers. The great newspaper has its 
columns ever open to the free use of the suffer- 
ing and oppressed. 

The journalist may arouse public indignation 
or enthusiasm as required, and the newspaper 
readers are an all-powerful society in common, 
ever ready to right wrong or to commend. Thus, 
in the truly great newspaper, neither the mighty 
nor the lowly are spared their deserts, be they 
blame or praise. So that neither evil nor good 
can escape publicity. 

Books are a luxury that cannot always be 
enjoyed, but the modest price of a newspaper 
places it within reach of even the very poor. 
The newspaper critics have made a garden in the 
barren plain of necessity. They cultivate the 
finer plants of art, science, music and literature, 
and remove the weeds of ignorance detrimental 
to their growth. In the prominent newspaper 
is found the best of literature. Leading authors, 
appreciating a wide circulation, now like their 
works to appear in the press prior to publication 
in book form. 

As the promoter of business and enterprise 
the newspaper stands alone. As an advertising 



THE NE WSPA PER. 

medium it is unrivalled. The smallest schemes 
have developed into the largest through proper 
newspaper noticings and mentionings. And the 
successes of many great business establishments 
are reached chiefly through the judiciousness of 
their newspaper advertising. 

The gatherer of thought, the journalist, should 
be well adapted for political life : he has oppor- 
tunity to study disinterestedly the wants of his 
people before taking high political position. 
Journalism teaches loftier principles than ward- 
heeling. There are to-day some thirty-three 
newspaper men in our House of Representatives, 
and the British House of Commons contains about 
twenty-eight prominent journalists. 

Mr. Furniss says, "America recognized that 
daily illustrated papers were to be part of the 
national life of the future, and it got the machin- 
ery ready. The daily paper rules in America, 
and it will rule in England." 




tk (Wtnb 



THE mind is the soul's machine. It is the 
mind through which the soul expresses 
itself and improves or deteriorates itself; the 
soul is the motive power, the mind the motor, 
and the body, the servant and physical supplier 
©f the mind. 

Knowledge is that which is gathered from the 
mind's working process, thought : it goes to build 
ep the soul (knowledge, be it understood, here 
signifying the result of experienced living). 

The mind gathers or photographs knowledge- 
pictures on its sensitive film, and presents these 
pictures to the soul ; so the soul receives impres- 
sions and fashions itself accordingly. 

As all things physical may be likened to one 
another, and as both mind and body are alike in 
that they are servants of the soul let us compare 
them. 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

There are different kinds of minds and there 
are different kinds of bodies, but all are machines. 

Of course there are, and must be, many different 
kinds of machines in this go-ahead world ; but 
the question arises, which are the most desirable 
and most successful ? 

Choose, for instance, between the machines of 
the professor and of the practical man, of the 
student and of the originator. 

The question is sometimes asked, " Has the 
mind a limit ?" 

The answer to this must be simple, for all 
things physical have a limit, and the mind is 
physical. 

Here we might observe, " there then must be 
such a thing as ' too much learning.' ' And may 
it not be even thus ? 

Indeed it is thus : at least to the practical, 
advancing, originating mind. For in such a 
mind, where learning is of great assistance, 
too much learning, like water thrown on a fire, 
or like oil flooding a machine, stops the 
progress. 

The mind of an originator, an author, an in- 
ventor, or of any progressive man might be com- 



THE MIND. 

pared to a slate. When it has been filled it must 
be emptied ere it can have other contents. 

And, in the case of the mind, its contents, while 
fresh, should be put forth into a new idea, a new 
book, a new invention or a new composition. 

It (this creative mind) is then ready to contain 
other knowledge which must never be so crowded 
as to prevent or restrict the working of thought, 
that process whereby old knowledge is revolved 
into new. Here, again, the creative mind might 
be likened to a churn into which is poured a 
fluid for the producing of a solid. If the churn 
is filled to overflowing it will not work properly. 

Once more, by way of example, we may liken 
the mind to the body. When it (the mind) is 
overstacked with knowledge it seems to become 
like the over-muscled body of the strong man : 
lumbering, awkward and unfit for quick ac- 
tion. Contrast the all-round athlete with the 
so-called " strong man." Take for example the 
boxer and the weight-lifter ; the boxer is not 
overburdened with heavy, cumbersome muscles, 
though he is strong and agile. 

The weight-lifter is possessed of abnormal 
development which necessitates slow and re- 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

strained movements of the limbs, as over-devel- 
oped muscles tend to bind the human body like 
tight cords — thus rendering agility, litheness of 
limb and suppleness out of the question. 

Each of these men has good and bad points 
in his make-up ; but pit the two against one 
another and which would win in an encounter ? 
The boxer, nearly always. 

A law-school graduate often does not know as 
much as his professor when he leaves college, 
though he may soon distance him in life's race. 

His mind is not so full that he has no room 
left in it for original thought and energy. 

Verily, while book-learning is desirable, the 
school of experience is a most excellent teacher. 




(Jttoftee 



THERE are two ways, at least, in which every 
idea may be expressed. Probably to no form 
of expression does this saying apply so forcibly 
as to the explaining of motive. Three-fourths 
of literature and two-thirds of conversation con- 
tain theory or motive. All that is written or 
spoken must be prompted by theory, motive or 
contemplation, else it is utterly useless and worth- 
less to the reader or auditor. 

Without the power of reason, little save vege- 
table life could exist. The power of reason is 
the self-preserving characteristic in everything 
possessing animal life. In its primary form, 
among the lower orders of animals, it is known 
as instinct ; and in its high form, among human- 
kind, as intellect. Animals evince their posses- 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

sion of instinct by action, while human beings 
may show their powers of intellect by words (as 
well as by behavior) . 

All verbal or written expression must contain 
reason or motive to be of value. An author is 
prompted by motive when he takes up his pen ; 
— every book written should set forth some 
elevating, instructive theory. 

There are two styles of literature, viz. : moral 
and immoral ; but the writers of the moral 
eclipse the writers of the immoral literature. 

There are at least two ways in which the same 
idea may be expressed ; and thus it is with the 
writers of moral literature. Some make their 
motives clear by narrative, wherein they lead their 
readers to obtain the best points of view unex- 
pectedly, " by winding paths." Others address 
their readers directly, in discussions of the motive 
theories themselves. The former is the more 
general and popular style of literature, but it is 
a question whether the latter is not the more 
instructive and more practical. 

Again, the practical argument has much more 



MOTIVE. 

weight with the average person than the religious. 
The way to reach the masses is through practical 
reasoning ; when the writer has his readers 
thoroughly interested in his subject and has 
established a bond of sympathy between him- 
self and them, then, and not till then, may he 
successfully introduce religious sentiment into 
his treatise. 

Motive is the motor, and in another sense the 
key, to action. 




Opinion 



OPINION is the result of thought, and by 
opinion breadth and depth of mind are 
made known. 

All minds run in grooves ; narrow minds run 
in narrow grooves, and broad minds run in broad 
grooves. 

A versatile mind is a broad mind : a mind 
which is sympathetic and which can adjust itself 
to the understanding of any other mind with 
which it may have to deal. 

Be it understood, however, that it is not a 
changeable mind here meant, as such is again 
another type. No, a broad mind is more what 
might well be termed a graceful mind, which 
strongly holds to its own good opinions, unless it 
finds better. In which latter case, even though 
it make the discovery, as it does not infrequently, 
in an inferior mind — the latter being a specialist 
on some subject into which the broader mind has 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

not had time to look — it may accept opinions 
of the inferior, and show its broadness in so doing. 

A stubborn mind is a narrow mind, in that it 
will not listen to other opinions, but is always 
roused to anger when in debate or argument. 

Righteous wrath is excellent. Narrow-minded 
wrath (the expression of envious hatred) is not 
only foolish but harmful, and full of evil, breed- 
ing wickedness ; it should be crushed out and 
gotten rid of, for it spreads like contagious disease 
among neighboring narrow minds, and, if allowed 
to spread, creates a false state of affairs ; this then 
can only be stopped with an outburst of indigna- 
tion by all broad minds and true consciences 
united. 

And here again opinion decides the turn, for 
the broad and deep minds send forth a flood of 
opinion that sweeps away the bravado and bitter 
opinion of the shallow minds. 

" By their works ye shall know them," is 
Christ's teaching. Is not a man's opinion the 
key-note to his mind ? 




£$e feife of an <gp#emeton 



jrilWAS the dawn of a summer morning. 

J_ The moon, loosening the cable of silvery 
light which moored her to earth during night's 
brief season, was drifting into the obscurity of the 
heavens before the search-light of the rising sun. 

From the eastern hemisphere, that seemed as 
a great sea of flame, came ripples of light earth- 
wards through the heavy, hazy atmosphere ; 
twilight turned swiftly to daylight. 

Near the centre of a large, dismal swamp 
stood a cluster of stunted willows. Weeping in- 
deed they seemed, for the gloominess of their 
situation was sufficient cause for such emotion. 
A solitary crow, perched among the topmost 
branches of one of the trees, intruded an occa- 
sional croak upon the death-stillness of the marsh. 
A poisonous snake, gliding beneath the tree in 
which the mournful bird was ensconsed, lifted its 

Note. — Ephemerou, derived from the Greek i<pfijxcpos-, is a species of 
butterfly which lives but one day. 

79 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

head, cast a glassy stare upwards, and then disap- 
peared in some rushes which grew close by. 

Upon the tree hung a number of chrysalides, 
and from them white-winged butterflies began to 
flutter forth. 

The crow, thereupon, spread his wings and 
hopped from the branch upon which he had so 
long been perched. Flitting about the tree, he 
caught many of the tiny ephemera as quickly as 
they flew from their birthplaces. Few escaped 
the lightning beak of the cruel bird. Those 
that did, made their way through the air to a 
neighboring tree and there rested a long time. 
They were bewildered and dazed. 

The sun rose ever higher in the cloudless 
heavens, and the tiny butterflies at length took 
not heart, but wings, and flew away in a cluster 
altogether. 

The sun's rays drew a damp vapor from the 
swamp, and the tiny travellers found it difficult 
to make headway. Many rests were taken, for 
their wings became heavy with the moisture in 
the air. 

Still they instinctively struggled forward in 
the direction of the mainland. They seemed 
set upon the idea that once there, they should 
be happy and free from all danger. 

so 



THE LIFE OF AN EPHEMERON. 

They still remained together, for " misery 
loves company," and, like all things in nature, 
the butterflies had no desire to be alone until 
they were well situated. 

Suddenly, as they were flitting over some tall, 
wavy grass, something arose and flew toward 
them. They remembered the black- winged 
monster that had devoured so many of their 
companions, and they flapped the air convul- 
sively in their fright. 

Just before the plover (for such it was) had 
reached them, an explosion was heard, and the 
butterflies' pursuer fell to the ground. 

The little group hurried onward in silent 
wonderment, and a few minutes later passed an 
immense giant, holding a smoking stick in his 
hand. Just then a bee joined the butterflies; 
he told them the shortest way out of the marsh, 
and, moreover, said that what they had just 
passed was a man, their preserver, who had slain 
the bird with a gun which he carried. The bee 
had scarcely finished speaking when a swarm of 
mosquitoes came by ; some were jDuffecl out and 
reeling through the air, while others buzzed dis- 
contentedly. The bee said they were pursuing 
the man. 

81 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

"Their sole pleasure in life consists in bleed- 
ing people and becoming intoxicated therefrom," 
continued the bee. " They have no occupation, 
and consequently spend their existence in dis- 
sipation ; they get no real enjoyment out of life, 
as they do not appreciate or understand it. 
They die young, and the world is glad to get rid 
of them." 

The butterflies' eyes were being opened. 

From the tall grass arose a large creature with 
magnificent wings ; it sailed grandly along, a 
little in advance of the butterflies. Many of 
the latter were lost in admiration, for it appeared 
evident that the one in advance was of their 
own species. A few of the butterflies stayed in- 
dependently behind, while the majority hastened 
forward and joined the newcomer. The latter 
accosted the little innocents pleasantly, and con- 
versed so glibly and entertainingly that they 
became spellbound with delight. 

They had not seen sufficient of the world as 
yet to be able to distinguish a moth-miller from 
a butterfly ; it was not long before the creature 
with the beautiful wings had quite gotten the 
tiny flutterflies into his power. Away he flew, 
back to the recesses of the swamp, and they 

32 



THE LIFE OF AN EPHEMERON. 

innocently followed him. Only one succeeded 
in separating himself from the misguided group. 
He had a long and painful journey before 
he caught up with his wiser companions ; for 
they had flown straight ahead, and were now far 
in advance. 

When he finally reached them they were rest- 
ing on a tree at the edge of the great swamp. 
They seemed to have entirely forgotten their 
companions who were led astray, for, when the 
belated butterfly fluttered up and lit on a twig 
close by, they were chatting gayly and looking 
out into the bright world which lay before them. 
They were glad to see their old companion, how- 
ever, and greeted him cordially. He told them 
how their comrades had been taken back to the 
vile marshes by the superb-looking creature 
which they had mistaken for a butterfly ; he had 
discovered it to be a pretender. He said the 
creature's wings had been only gilded, and the 
beautiful tints were wearing off, even before he 
had taken his departure. When the butterfly 
had concluded narrating his experience, it was 
unanimously agreed that it was not wise to put 
faith in new friends until their wings had been 
thoroughly tested. 

The butterflies remained on the inner edge of the 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

swamp for a long time. There seemed to be a cer- 
tain morbid fascination for them in looking back 
into the dismal marshes and reviewing the past. 

At last, the experienced butterfly (for we shall 
call him this hereafter, in order to distinguish 
him from the others) aroused his companions. 

" Come, let us fly forth into the bright sun- 
shine of life," he said. 

The others arose therewith, and they all flew 
from the swamp in a solid cluster. 

They intended always to keep together, but 
they soon found that this was impossible. 

They had gone but a little distance before one 
of their number fluttered blindly into a spider's 
web, and became so entangled therein that the 
rest were obliged to leave him to his fate and fly 
onwards. 

Shortly afterwards, while passing a large bon- 
fire which burned on the outskirts of a forest, 
another butterfly, becoming fascinated by the 
fire's brilliance, ventured too near, and was 
licked in by the flame. 

The rest still pushed ahead, and entered the 
wooded expanse by a straight and narrow road 
leading through to open fields beyond. Many 
alluring paths diverged to the right and to 
the left, however, and the butterflies soon began 
to take to these in preference to the straight, 
uninteresting road. All that took them wan- 

84 



THE LIFE OF AN EPHEMERON. 

dered for awhile and became lost eventually in 
the depths of the forest. 

At length, when the end of the narrow road 
had been reached, the experienced butterfly was 
the last of all the companions that remained. 
When he flew out into the fields beyond the 
wood, he was the only one that, born in low sur- 
roundings and wishing to soar above them, had 
finally attained his object. 

And now the sun had reached its meridian, 
and the ephemeron's life was half spent. The 
tiny traveller was unconscious of this fact, never- 
theless, for nothing in nature knows the time 
when it will cease to exist. 

There was a large daisy field near by ; the 
butterfly flitted in to sip the fragrance from the 
flowers. As he alighted upon a poppy he heard 
the sound of voices close by ; he crawled to the 
edge of the flower, and looking over discovered 
two ants on the stem of the plant, directly be- 
low him. 

Seated together in the shade cast by the 
flower, they were holding a spirited discussion ; 
the subject of argument was whether the spider 
or the bee possessed the more industrious and 
enterprising disposition. 

The ephemeron played eavesdropper, and this 
is what he overheard : 

First ant: — "The spider has no enterprise!" 

85 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

Second ant: — "How so, clear aunt?" 

First ant: — "The spicier labors with but one ob- 
ject in view, that of securing his own personal com- 
fort. When lie has built a domain for himself, he 
retires from active life and is content for the rest 
of his existence to live in idleness and seclusion." 

Second ant : — " For that matter, then, the 
bee has no enterprise." 

First ant: — " Here, again, you are mistaken, 
aunt." (Among the ants there is but one rela- 
tionship.) " The bee labors also, but not only 
for the betterment of her own condition, but for 
the betterment of the condition of the entire 
community in which she lives as well. When 
she has filled her treasuries with honey, does 
she stop? No, she builds other hives or treasu- 
ries, and proceeds to fill those likewise. She 
asserts her rights when it is necessary, and she 
takes the aggressive very quickly, too, when 
there is cause to do so." 

A queen bee that had been sitting close by, 
unobserved by the ants, had listened to the en- 
tire conversation. 

Having heard the many flattering compliments 
paid her, she arose majestically and flew off, feel- 
ing puffed up and proud beyond expression. It 
seemed to her that there was no one like herself. 
She felt that she was unapproachable, and that 
all the eyes of the world were centered upon her. 



THE LIFE OF AN EPHEMERON. 

She was hovering over an ants' nest when a 
discontented darning-needle flew along. 

He was "darning" everybody and every- 
thing, and he "darned" the queen bee as he 
passed her. 

This was more than the latter's pride could 
endure, and she called after the needle to return 
at his peril. He no sooner heard the challenge 
than he wheeled about. A terrific combat was 
the result. 

At last the grumbling darning-needle and the 
proud bee came tumbling to the ground together. 

They fell, wounded and faint, upon the ants' 
nest. The many inhabitants came pouring forth 
and fell upon the unfortunate combatants. The 
ant upon the stem of the poppy, that had but a 
short time before been so loud in the praises of 
the bee, turned to her companion with the re- 
mark : " Even the mighty sometimes fall." 

" Everything comes to him who waits," re- 
plied the second ant, referring to her spider 
theory. 

The two then descended to the ground and 
joined their companions in picking the fallen 
bee and darning-needle to pieces. 

The shadows had begun to lengthen when the 
ephemeron flew out from the daisy field. Find- 
ing a pretty country road, he flitted along and 
saw many novel and interesting sights ; there is 

87 



THE FLOWERS OF LIFE. 

always something new to be seen in life. The 
sun sank below the western hills, and the butter- 
fly flew on through the increasing darkness. 

At last he could go no further, so, fluttering 
to the ground, he sought a sheltered spot beneath 
some withered leaves ; from thence he looked out 
into the blackness of the night. He was happy, 
very happy ; he thought of the pleasant life he had 
had by keeping to the right roads. He looked 
back upon the past with contentment and satis- 
faction. 

The drunken bats began to fly about, and the 
discontented owls hooted forth their complaints 
from a neighboring wood. 

The cheerful crickets, on the other hand, chir- 
ruped forth in immense choruses, and the tiny 
ephemeron moralized that " the world was not 
so wicked, after all." 

And now the butterfly's life was spent. He 
fell back and gazed upward at the stars ; they 
appeared to be coming towards him, and to be 
twinkling all about him. (They were merely 
the fireflies which he saw.) 

Suddenly the twinkling seemed to him to 
cease, and to appear as a great mass of flame. 

Then all was dark : the tiny butterfly lay 
dead among the withered leaves. 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 



The Madeira Islands, 



BY 



A. J. DREXEL BIDDLE, 

Fellow of the American Geographical Society. 

Containing twenty-seven full-page illustrations, a 
map of Funchal, a map of the Island of Madeira, 
showing districts devoted to vine culture, and a 
chapter of useful information for the traveler and 
visitor. 12mo., cloth, pp. 115. Price, $2.00. 



What Leading Critics Say of this Work : 

From the American Press. 

"A very interesting book entitled 'The Madeira Islands' has been 
written by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle. ... As for the text, suffice it 
to say that the author tells all that is worth knowing about the islands. 
He has evidently studied them and their history thoroughly, going back 
to the time when they were discovered and settled, and telling us how 
they have fared from that time until now. Of life in the islands at pres- 
ent he draws a graphic and interesting picture, and altogether his book 
can be recommended, not only to historical students and to those who 
may intend to visit the Madeiras, but also to those who, though unable 
for various reasons to spend much time in traveling, are yet always eager 
to obtain new information about foreign and little-known countries."— 
The New York Herald. 

" Mr Biddle has the quick, observant eye of one who travels for the 
love of seeing strange sights. He has, moreover, a keen sense of humor, 
and the power to seize upon what is odd and picturesque." — Brooklyn 
Eagle. 

The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 



"... Mr. Biddle's book begets a desire to visit the islands and see 
with one's own eyes what he has so graphically described ; but whether 
the reader can go or not, he will be richly repaid for the reading of one 
of the choicest books of the year." — The North American. 

" 'The Madeira Islands ' is in great demand."— Ev'ry Month. 

" Mr. Biddle in this his latest contribution to literature has found the 
fortunate middle ground between a mere guide-book and an elaborate 
and technical record of the resources, population and general statistics 
of these beautiful islands. He writes vividly and with much keen ob- 
servation of the climate and scenery, with picturesque descriptions of 
the fetes, customs and manners of the native Madeirans. . . ."—'Hie 
Public Ledger, Philadelphia. 

" Books on these islands are rare, and none has shown such careful 
research and clever observation, combined with the short story-teller's 
instinct to ferret out a romance."— The Critic. 

" It has been left to Mr. Biddle to be the historian of what under the 
magic of his pen are veritable ' summer isles of Eden.' And the spell of 
romance that the ill-fated history of Robert a Machin and his luckless 
love Anna d'Arfet casts over the beautiful ' Ilha da Madeira' seems to 
linger to this day." — Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 

"... This account is anything but dry and perfunctory. It be- 
gins with a love story lived so long ago that it has become history." — 
New York Recorder. 

" Entitled to be classed among the successful books of the current 
year." — Book News. 

" 'The Madeira Islands' is the name of a new book by Anthony J. 
Drexel Biddle. . . . The work is handsomely illustrated, and the 
reading matter will interest seafaring people as well as civilians." — 
America n Shipbuilder. 

" Contains much valuable information." — New York Press. 

" Mr. Biddle has found in the Madeira Islands a fresh field in which to 
exercise his descriptive powers. . . .''—Review of Reviews. 

"... Whether it is the blueness of the sea that he dwells upon, 
the mildness of the climate, the luxuriant growth of fruit and flower, 
the quaint customs of the Madeirans, or a gorgeous ceremony witnessed 
from the balcony of the Cathedral, his style is always fresh, vivid and 
instinct with the deep enjoyment of life. . . . There is so much in it, 
however, that is good, that it is difficult to make a choice."— The Even- 
ing Item, Philadelphia. 

The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 

90 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 

" It is one of those delightful volumes of descriptive writing that soon 
find a place in the hearts of the people." — Sioux City Journal. 

"... The Islands have never been written up in attractive man- 
ner, and it was a very bright idea on the part of Mr. Biddle to take the 
work, which he has done uncommonly well. It is beautifully illustrated, 
and gives the facts of their history in a bright and very entertaining 
way, combining the dry with romance in such a manner as to hold the 
reader to the end. The life in the present is delightfully pictured, and 
the beautiful illustrations contribute to the charm. It is uncommonly 
well done, and the author, who has already won laurels as a writer of 
short stories, has rendered a valuable service to history." — The Morn- 
ing Telegraph, New London, Conn. 

"The pages are embellished with amusing anecdotes." — Haltimore 
World. 

" There is not an uninteresting page." — The Helena Independent. 

" The reading world will welcome this latest book of Anthony J. 
Drexel Biddle, because it has learned that in whatever he puts forth 
there is strength of thought, the result of labor and research, clothed in 
a lingual dress which adds to its attractiveness. This new book will in- 
crease his reputation as a ready and skillful writer, and as a man of great 
observation as well as reflective capacity. The authorpresems, in a series 
of eight chapters, all the facts of note concerning the island group, their 
characteristics, their products and commerce, and their population and 
history, and many of these are graphically illustrated with engravings 
distributed through the book, which, once for all, can be recommended 
to the student of history, to the lover of good literature, and to the trav- 
eler who desires to fortify himself with information concerning a strange 
land he proposes to visit." — The Brooklyn Citizen. 

"... Nearly ready, a new edition of the recent work, 'The Ma- 
deira Islands,' by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle. The author has made an 
exhaustive study of the Madeiras." — The New York Times. 

From the British Press. 

" One hears a good deal of Madeira wine— not so much, perhaps, as 
we used to do — and not a little of casual calls by pilgrims in quest of 
health ; but how little do we know of the Island itself! It has been left 
for an American to give us the first illustrated book on ' The Madeira 
Islands.' The author is Mr. Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, who has already 
made considerable contributions to contemporary literature. Mr. Biddle 
gives much most interesting information, and presents it in a very read- 

The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 

91 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 



able style, about Madeira. . . . Mr. Biddle presents a very useful 
book in ' The Madeira Islands,' interesting in its historical gleanings, and 
of practical value in the advice and hints it affords for all who think of 
visiting the Island, which is regarded by thousands of all nations as the 
Invalids' Paradise."— The Sheffield Telegraplt. 

" An enthusiastic account of the Madeira Islands."— Manchester 
Guardian. 

" ' The Madeira Islands' is a well-written volume, containing histori- 
cal facts and pleasant descriptions of the Islands and the people who 
inhabit them. The author is evidently acquainted fully with his sub- 
ject." — The Birmingham Daily Gazette. 

" The author has already won his spurs in literature— in fact, the pres- 
ent work made its appearance in first edition form last year, and gained 
golden opinions. He is an apt descriptive writer and a clever story-teller. 
. . . The papers are all interesting, and they contain a great deal of 
useful information respecting things in general about the islands, their 
scope ranging from statistics about the population and items of legal in- 
terest to the gay and happy lives passed by the inhabitants, the flora 
and fauna, and the beautiful gardens, ' ribeiros,' and residences of Fun- 
chal. . . ." — The London Transport. 

" This is a carefully-written historical and descriptive account of the 
Madeira Islands. . . . A picturesque account is given of the discovery 
of the first of these islands, on All Saints' Day of the year 1418. The rise 
and progress of the wine industry is traced, and many interesting facts 
given. The concluding chapter is full of useful information for the 
traveler and visitor. Routes to Madeira from the various ports of the 
world are tersely summarized. Practical information is given on the 
hotel service, private housekeeping, the servant question, and market- 
ing. The book is entertaining and practically useful."— The Sheffield 
and Itotherham Independent. 

"... Increasing as Madeira is every year in popularity as a health 
resort, Mr. Biddle's exhaustive account of the Island will doubtless find 
many appreciative readers." — The Newcastle Leader. 

"... General knowledge of the Madeiras is, to say the least, but 
limited. Mr. Biddle, who is believed to be the first American who has 
penned a history of the Islands, is to be congratulated on the fact that he 
has succeeded in bringing within small compass all that is worth know- 
ing of them. He draws a graphic picture of the life that may be spent 
there, and has much to say that will commend the happy isles to those 
who can afford a vacation in this charming resort." — The Western 
Daily Mercury, Plymouth. 



The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 

92 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 
From the Canadian Press. 

"... Contains ample information, conveyed in a direct and 
simple manner, about the Madeira Islands, where Mr. Biddle resided for 
a year, devoting his whole time to collecting data for his valuable guide- 
book. It is the first illustrated work on the islands that has ever been 
published, and the author has endeavored to tell us in the compass of a 
hundred and eleven pages all that is worth knowing about their former 
history and present condition. . . ." — The Montreal Star. 

" We heartily recommend it." — Canadian JJookseller. 

"In these very disagreeable and trying months those who may be 
thinking of a finer climate and a change of scene will be interested in 
. . . 'The Madeira Islands.' . . . Part history, part guide-book, 
part purely descriptive and literary. There are also maps and plans, 
lists of steamer communications, with prices, and all needful informa- 
tion for travelers. The historical part is very useful and convenient, all 
available sources having been tapped by the author. . . . It is there- 
fore possible to have a perfect rest from riddles of existence and problems 
of politics and questions of literature in that delightful land of forget- 
fulnessand silence amid the ever-shining seas."— The Mail and Em- 
pire, Toronto. 



From the Scottish Press. 

" The author of this interesting and prettily illustrated hand-book sum- 
marizes the present situation at Madeira thus. . . ."—The Scottish 
Geographical Magazine. 

"... There is certainly more life in it than is usually found in a 
guide-book. If its style and tone are essentially American, the volume 
is not unentertaining, as well as useful. . . ."—The Edinburgh 
Scotsman. 

" Consists of a number of detached papers, of which the common fea- 
ture is that they are readable, and that they contain a great deal of infor- 
mation, both interesting and practically useful, about the Madeira Is- 
lands. . . ." — The Glasgow Herald. 

The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 



93 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 



THE 

Froggy Fairy Book. 

Popular Edition. Duodecimo, 66 pp., fully illus- 
trated, printed from original plates, in green art 
vellum binding, and stamped in red and gold and 
red and silver. Price, 50 cents. 

FOR A CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR, EASTER 
OR BIRTHDAY GIFT. 

Edition de Luxe, limited to eight hundred copies, 
printed on extra heavy, super-calendered paper, 
with nine full-page illustrations such as every child 
will love ; bound in red and gold, gold edges. Price, 
$1.25. 

Of this edition the Augusta, Georgia, Herald says : " Taking 
into consideration the heavy satin-finished paper and the ex- 
quisite illustrations, it is one of the handsomest books for chil- 
dren that has ever come to this department." 

The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 

94 




PRESS COMMENTS 



TUTIWTi 



0<>9).»,. 







TTTTTir 



" Frogs in literature are associated in most minds with fairyland. No 
one is surprised at any adventures froggy may meet with, after the fate 
that befell ' The frog that would a-wooing go,' so many years ago. One 
of the best successors of that ancient idyl that I have seen for years is 
'The Froggy Fairy Book,' written by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle and 
illustrated by John R. Skeen. It tells of how little Elsie met a funny 
froggy, who came to her in evening dress, with a lantern in his hand and 
a violin under his arm. After that there is a frog orchestra, a frog prince, 
fairies of all kinds and plenty of fun. It is a real old-fashioned tale, 
told with the sympathy of one who loves children and knows how to 
write for them. The illustrations are excellent. The type and paper are 
good and the volume is handsomely bound."— New York Commercial 
Advertiser. 

" The Christmas books of Mr. Anthony Joseph Drexel Biddle, the 
American writer and publisher, are becoming increasingly popular." — 
London Literary World. 

"Mr. Drexel Biddle, of Philadelphia, has published a new edition of 
'The Froggy Fairy Book,' by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle. The binding 
and the illustrations, which are by Mr. John R. Skeen, might almost 
suffice to account for the remarkable popularity of the little volume. On 
the other hand, however, it must be admitted that without either of these 
adjuncts the mere text would have been quite deserving of the favor to 
which three editions in less than six months abundantly testify. Tak- 
ing it altogether, the book is the very thing to delight children."— Glas- 
goiv Herald. 

The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britian, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 

95 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 

"... Remarkably clever, and the long-haired young lady who has 
wandered into Frogland is charmingly contrasted with frogs, who figure 
as portly elderly gentlemen, or are got up like respectable family but- 
lers." — The London Times. 

" This little fairy-story gives an apt illustration of the difference be- 
tween the American and the English child. . . ." — The Spectator, 
London. 

" Elsie Lee is as American as ' Alice in Wonderland ' is English. It is 
a pretty and healthy story, which is certain to delight all good chil- 
dren." — The Scotsman, Edinburgh, 

"... Parents at their wits' end for a new sensation to keep the 
little folks quiet, even for a time, will welcome the second edition of 
' The Froggy Fairy Book,' by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, which has just 
come from America. It is unnecessary to explain the ' plot ' of this most 
entertaining fairy tale. Suffice it to say that it contains all the elements 
of wonder required to gain for it the approbation of the children, while 
the excellent pictures are in themselves an exhaustless source of in- 
terest." — The Dundee Advertiser. 

" It will hold the young mind."— Cork (Ireland) Examiner. 

" It is full of childish interest." — TJie Canadian Bookseller. 

" A funny book for children, which has obtained a great vogue." — Pall 
Mall Gazette. 

"The story, which is cleverly conceived, "tells of the adventures of 
Elsie Lee, a typical little American girl of tender years, among the frogs 
that inhabit a certain little brook near Elsie's home. . . . Superbly 
bound. ... A leading feature of the work is the illustrations, drawn 
by the well-known artist, John R. Skeen, of the Philadelphia Times." — 
The Neiv York World. 

" Fairy-book literature receives an accession in A. J. Drexel Biddle's 
' Froggy Fairy Book.' "—Boston Globe. 

"... Every parent will be happy to see the pretty book in the 
hands of every child." — Chicago Times- Herald. 

" The story has hit the popular fancy." — Brooklyn Standard Union. 

"The publisher has given us a handsome piece of bookmaking in 
this unique work. . . . Wide-awake children will give it a hearty 
welcome at any season of the year. The author has followed out a queer 
conception, and has done it in such a pleasing manner as to assure his 
place among the successful writers of fairy literature."— Good! House- 
keeping. 



The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 

96 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 

"'The Froggy Fairy Book' will be received with transports by the 
juvenile world of readers." — The North American. 

" One of the successes of the season."— The Philadelphia Times. 

" Sure to amuse the children." — San Francisco Call. 

"... Worthy of special mention as illustrative of the imaginative 
faculty of the writer, controlled by consideration for the capacity of those 
he writes for. The language of the narrative is from ' the well of pure 
English undefiled,' and almost all the words used are monosyllabic, and 
so adapted to the understanding of the child who reads or only listens ; 
and all who do will surely call for the second ' Froggy Fairy Book,' which 
is promised from his pen."— The Brooklyn Citizen. 

" ' The Froggy Fairy Book,' by Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, though of 
the holiday order, is a book for all seasons. It will never come amiss in 
any child's library. It is ingenuous, quaint, full of strange conceits and 
always interesting. . . . Children of all ages will find delight in its 
pages." — 'the Budget. 

" The author of this work is Mr. Anthony J. Drexel Biddle, a young 
American journalist, who has already made his mark in literature. A 
simple, old-fashioned fairytale.it treats, as its title indicates, of some ad- 
ventures in Frog-land. Elsie Leeis a typical little American child. . . . 
As may be imagined, she has plenty of fun, and all this is interestingly 
described for the benefit of young readers. . . . The book is in every 
way calculated to please the little folk for whom it is intended, and by 
whom a much better present could scarcely be desired."— The Western 
Daily Mercury, Plymouth, England. 

JSrThe above work is for sale by all booksellers, 
or will be sent by Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage 
prepaid, to any part of the United States, Canada, 
Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 



97 



DREXEL BIDDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 



JUST PUBLISHED. 

The Flowers of Life, 

BY 

A. J. D. B. 

Containing, in handy form, some of his latest 
writing's, so chosen as to make a gift-book appro- 
priate for presentation occasions. Copies of this 
volume are handsomely bound in blue and gold, in 
white and gold, and in yellow and gold, and are 
printed on extra heavy paper. Cloth, gilt top, 12mo., 
pp. 88. Price, 90 cents. 

THE 

Second Froggy Fairy Book, 

BY 

A. J. D. B. 

With many full-page illustrations by Anne Pen- 
nock. Containing an account of the further adven- 
tures of Elsie Lee in Frog- and Fairy-land. Cloth, 
gilt top, 12mo., pp. 96. Price, 75 cents. 

" The heroine is a little girl named Elsie, and it is with her adventures 
amongst frogs, fairies and gnomes that the book is concerned." — Dun- 
dee Advertiser. 



The above works are for sale by all booksellers, or will be sent by 
Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage prepaid, to any part of the United 
States, Canada, Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 

98 



DREXEL B1DDLE, PUBLISHER'S PUBLICATIONS. 



Shantytown Sketches, 

A Collection of Short Tales in Irish, Negro and German 
Dialects, 

BY 

A. J. D. B. 

Paper, 12mo., pp. 72. Price, 35 cents. 
The above work is for sale by all booksellers, or 
will be sent by Drexel Biddle, Publisher, postage 
prepaid, to any part of the United States, Canada, 
Great Britain, or Mexico, on receipt of the price. 



SOON TO APPEAR. 

BY THE SAME AUTHOR. 

Word for Word 

AND 

Letter for Letter, 

A NOVEL. 



A New, Enlarged and thoroughly Revised Edition of 

THE MADEIRA ISLANDS, 

Containing nearly fifty full-page illustrations and 
numerous maps, together with additional chapters 
on the History, the Vine, the Wine, and the Flora. 

99 



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